Life, as we know it, is not over!

It is my opinion, and only my opinion, that we as a human species are social animals UNTIL we hit a snag in life. When a major experience inserts itself then we feel we are no longer part of a large group. We become a singular entity that is totally alone and no one else has ever gone through what we are going through.

Nothing is farther from the truth. Our social world branches off into a different growth pattern then settles back into the comfortable one we are used to, which now includes other people who have similar experiences to ours.

Anyone that does, at least, one hour of television viewing has seen the legal advertisements warning of the dire consequences of the drug Coumadin (Warfarin) and the deaths it has caused. Kind of scary when you listen to the advertisement and the claims made by a spokesperson for the legal firm.

Having remnants of the torte ad in my head and the possible things that could go wrong with my Joe while he is on this drug made me quite anxious for him. If the drug is so bad that people are bleeding to death and dropping like flies then why is this still being prescribed by physicians?!

Acceptance of Joe’s medical procedures and prescriptions had to come. I had to embrace this fear and do the best that I could to make sure my husband is watched over and cared for properly. That was the first hurdle to get over. The next was to find information about his diet that I would need to know in order to aid him in his recovery and eventually getting off Coumadin (Warfarin).

This past week I have begun to feel like I am in the middle of a Wes Craven horror movie with no way out. Who would have ever known that fruits and vegetables could be so harmful to a human body? All of the fitness Internet sites you go to scream at you to eat more vegetables and fruit daily. Get meat out of our diet and more natural foods in.

The Vitamin K in a good number of vegetables that Joe loves could be the actual death of him. The Potassium levels in the fruits and vegetables Joe loves could cause him to go into kidney failure. What the H-E-*-* is wrong with my world?!

In our house Joe is feeling unmanned by no longer being able to work and provide an income to his family, while I’m going bonkers about what is safe for him to eat. Both of us are living in a sort of H-E-Double Hockey Sticks. Surely Freddy Kruger will be knocking on our door at any minute. Of course Freddy Kruger never knocked on doors, he just appeared out of no where and terrorized certain people.

When you find yourself locked in a pitched battle, and feel like you are losing, out of no where comes an ally. Someone that HAS gone through what we are going through. Someone that is on the other side of the problem and have their life together. This ally has survived quite a number of years on Coumadin (Warfarin) and has an active life, a job that would be considered hazardous to his health, and the ability to make Freddy Kruger disappear in a pile of ashes to be blown away on the wind.

Our ally is none other than our vehicle mechanic. Years ago our mechanic (Greg at G&S Automotive in Norman, Oklahoma) had a heart valve replacement. He has been on Coumadin (Warfarin) for several years now. He climbs around on old, banged up, and rusty vehicles – new ones, too. He reaches into the engine compartments where there is very little space to put fingers, let alone tools, and busts his knuckles. His customers come in complaining of a problem with their vehicle and he doesn’t back away from the work involved to get the cars and trucks running in tip top shape. He goes elbow deep. He rolls around on the ground underneath the chassis to inspect where the odd sound is coming from. And he always has a smile on his face.

I knew Joe was upset and worried about us going back to work. My poor Joe was resigned to having to stand back and watch me do all the work and heavy lifting. That goes totally against Joe’s soul and his core beliefs. So much that it has put him in a kind of funk. After learning about our mechanic who is taking the same medication as Joe, only in a higher dosage, has given my husband his spirit back. He no longer lives in fear of hurting himself and bleeding to death in some remote and desolate location far from civilization.

I, myself, have an ally that has joined me in my battle. Jann Gray of WhatYouMakeIt has inspired me with tips she has garnered over the past couple years in caring for her husband who has had a kidney transplant. Through her knowledge, support, and sense of humor I have come to realize that food is good and a friend. I’m totally grateful for her insight and help.

So…when you feel totally alone and nearly defeated in your life’s struggle, don’t give up. There will be someone that will come along with their weapons to aid you in your battle. Someone to stand beside you and fight along side of you. Your friendship with these people will become a bond that will help you through your tough days and cherish the sanity of normal days.

Now it is time to indulge in a little chocolate 😀

And I do mean a LITTLE chocolate.

Now get in there and fight like you really mean it. Also, have a spectacular day.

Leslie

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About Message In A Fold

I am an over the road truck driver in Drive-Away Transport part of the year, and the sole bookkeeper of this operation the other part of the year. I do a lot of whining until I can get in my craft room and play with paper and glue.
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This entry was posted on Friday, August 31st, 2012 at 10:03 am and posted in Coumadin (Warfarin). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Well, Leslie! I braved the beast and jumped into my inbox! After our exchange this morning I decided I didn’t want to miss any more of these big life events! I would call these friends of yours more of the God “blessings” I was talking about earlier! God is so good!
*sigh* It has been SO LONG since I’ve been here that I forgot to come equipped with my snack! OF COURSE you had to make me hungry…CHOCOLATE?? I don’t think I have a single bite of it in the house, not even as small as yours! lol *gasp* I just remembered I have a few chocolate covered raisins left in my studio but they’ll require coffee! Okay, I’m off! 😉
My best to Joe!
Love & prayers,
Nancy 🙂

Indeed, God “blessings” and we are richly blessed by the people in our lives….close and far away.

Thank you for the opportunity to laugh! Of course there is food on my blogs, that is why I’m fat 😀 Go enjoy your chocolate covered raisins and some coffee my friend. You need the sustenance to plow through your 28 pages of emails awaiting your attention.

So sorry I am so behind with visiting your blog Leslie, life suddenly got a tad hectic in these here parts 🙂 Trying to catch up with all that needs doing before I skip off to look after our grandsons for a week whilst Jill joins her hubby in Dubai where he is working at present.
You and Joe have had to face a huge lifestyle change and it takes time to come to terms with it all but you are both facing up to it and dealing with it. I am so happy for Joe that he has an ally that he can confer with and make him realise that life has not come to an end just that somethings have to change.
Jann has been able to come to your aid with her down to earth view and helpful advice which is brilliant and as been mentioned what seems such a huge stumbling block at the moment will soon become second nature to you both.
That advert on television is dreadful, how on earth do ‘they’ get away with it? No one would dream of running such an advert on television here without all the necessary checks and, as you say, if that drug was so bad then surely the medical profession wouldn’t be allowed to prescribe it. Any drug found to have adverse effects in the UK is removed from the pharmacies and doctors surgeries by the Medical Body that oversees these things.
Love and hugs
Lynn xx

Our legal system is a bad joke. Our political system is a worse joke. Legislation was passed, uhm….., over 10 years ago that allowed lawyers to advertise on television and in print. The television has daily assaults by lawyers hawking their trade. The Personal Injury lawyers have catchy phrases in their television ads. “Had a wreck? Need a check? Call us.” They go after the insurance agencies. Some legal advertisements have “clients” (actors) holding checks and saying “Mike got me this check for my wreck”. Replace “Mike” with whatever name the lawyer has.

Drug companies have lengthy adds about their products from birth control, erectile dysfunction, allergies, arthritis, and bladder incontinence. Each of these ads come with a voice over proclaiming the side effects of taking these drugs, and some of them are down right horrifying. My mother used to say about some drugs way back in the early 1960’s that the cure was worse than the disease. Today that is so true.

The torte lawyers have their spots to advertise as well. Recently they are going after the drug manufacturers of birth control pills that cause blood clots leading to Pulmonary Embolism and some deaths. The torte lawyers had hit the mother-lode some years back with the asbestos problem in the construction industry. Anyone that applied asbestos in new construction long ago were urged to seek legal help because the workers were dying from the asbestos fibers imbedded in their lungs. Now that asbestos abatement has been regulated, which has been a good thing to happen, these torte lawyers are going after the drug manufacturers.

My problem is that we are bombarded with the scare tactics. Thankfully we record the programs we like to watch and I can fast forward through all the commercials to get back to the program. Skip over all the torte and personal injury ads.

Okay, I’m done with my tirade. Sorry 😦

Thank you, Lynn, for your very kind remarks about Joe and his finding an ally. It has seriously helped in Joe’s mental outlook. Things are no longer dire and filled with doom and gloom 😉 Plus I am benefited by my far flung friends that keep me sane and able to keep going to take care of Joe without falling apart 🙂 and I thank you for that.